Herschel Walker is the ultimate athletic specimen. His accomplishments not only include over 13,000 total yards and 84 touchdowns, but it appears that he's also indestructible.
At 53, Walker is as physically fit as many players currently playing in the NFL. He also says that he can still run at 4.35 40-yard dash.
You can't really blame Father Time for giving up the battle against Walker. His workout regimen is focused on not only building power, but also on strengthening the body. Oh, and he fights in MMA for fun and says it keeps him young. You know, why not?
After his NFL playing days were done, Walker's workout routine didn't change all that much.
"I'm not on a track as much," said Walker. "Before I got into MMA stuff, I was on a track almost every day. You'd see me out on a track early in the morning."
For a while, Walker was doing about 3,500 push-ups a day. Since starting MMA though, Walker has cut the push-ups down to 1,500 a day, but still hits the 3,500 total with sit-ups.
"You get [the core] ready, you can handle anything else."
So by the time most people wake up and think of a reason to call in sick to work, Walker has done more sit-ups than the average person does in a year. His motivation for fitness came at a young age, as he had to overcome several obstacles.
"I grew up overweight," he said. "I used to have a speech impediment. I was picked on. And I realized that if you dedicate yourself to anything, you can do it."
Besides the gargantuan amount of reps, Walker's workout is unique as he avoids using weights and focuses mainly on body weight exercises.
"Still doing no weights. Everything has been body exercises. Almost like a gymnast. I can do the rings. I can do that pommel horse. And people are shocked that I can do it."
The focus away from weights is something Walker credits to what's kept his joints so healthy. He doesn't believe weights are necessarily bad for working out, but too much weight can be harmful. He recommends that most people do less weight, but more reps. To avoid injury, Walker recommends stretching the muscles out and to consider a Pilates or yoga class.
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"Almost everybody wants to look like a body builder and do 500 pounds on the bench. That sounds good, but all of sudden you've got back problems and all these other problems."
Walker also said jaws dropped when he recently did an exhibition with "American Ninja Warrior" and was able to handle obstacles with ease. Obstacle courses are nothing new to Walker's routine. In his time with the Dallas Cowboys, he said Coach Tom Landry used to make players go through a jungle gym they had at the training facility. This included a rope climb, which running backs had to complete twice.
"I'm like, 'Guys, this is what I've done all my life.' I was doing CrossFit before they gave it a name. This is not something I just started yesterday. I've been climbing and doing all that junk before they even started that stuff."
Another tip Walker mentioned is that when working out, you have to keep work on cardio.
"Cardio is so important because if your cardio is not together, that's when you're going to get pulled muscles. You pull a muscle because you're tired. You pull a muscle because you're overworked."
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